Shocking attachment for binders.



No. 865,870. 1 PATE'NTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

J. T. OOULTER.

SHOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR 'BINDERS.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII GT.27. 1905.

ssssssssssssss jrW TH; NORRIS PETERS CO WASHINGTOV D C No. 865,870. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

J .T.GOULTER. SHOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR BINDERS.

APPLICATION FILED 0G'I'.27. 1905.

Witnessas Inventor I c/fl/ULTUWLZZ/f QSHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED SEPT. 10

' J. T. OOULTER.

SHOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR BINDERS.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.27. 1905.

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JOHN T. OOULTER, OF OXFORD TOWNSHIP, JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS.

SHOCKING ATTACHMENT FOR BINDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed October 27, 1905- Serial No. 284,615.

To all whom it "may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN T. OOULTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oxford township, in the county of Johnson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shocking Attachments for Binders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shocking attachments for binders, and the object of the invention is to provide an attachment by the use of which a large number of bundles are formed into a rectangular shock which is deposited on the field at the side of the attachment, without the necessity of stopping the binder for that purpose.

To this end the invention consists in the novel and peculiar construction combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a plan view of an attachment embodying my invention, a portion of a binder to which it isconnected being also shown. Fig. 2, is a rear elevation of the same, showing in dotted lines the tilting cradle in lowered position, and an elevation of a shock as deposited therefrom. Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the right-hand side of the attachment showing the pressure bar in position ready to be lowered, the bullwheel being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 4, is an enlarged perspective view of the spreader arm. Fig. 5, is an enlarged detail view of the stud by means of which said spreader-arm is connected to the cradle (the arm being omitted). Fig. 6, is an enlarged detail view in vertical section of a device for locking the pressure-bar in operative position. Fig. 7, is a top plan view of said device.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figs. 1 and 2, 1 indicates the bull-wheel of a binder, and 2 a portion of the frame contiguous thereto and supported by the axle 3 of said wheel. For the purpose of this invention a platform 4, triangular in form by preference, is constructed and one corner thereof is pivotally connected to said frame 2 at a point substantially above the said axlef As shown, the platform comprises an under frame composed of a transverse bar 5, a longitudinal bar 6, and a diagonal bar 7. The outer portion of the platform and the superposed parts, are supported preferably by two casters 8. A swingle-tree 9 or its equivalent, is attached to the forward end of bar 6, whereby the platform is drawn forward by animal power as the binder advances. The vertical pivotpin 10, provides for the unequal advance of the animal and the binder team and the horizontal pivot-pin 12 provides for inequalities in the surface of the field as between the binder and the casters 8 of the attachments as a rigid connection would be undesirable. The platform may be made perfectly level by elevating its inner end where it is connected to the binder, but by preference it is inclined upwardly and outwardly, as shown, so that its outer or discharge side will be elevated above the plane of the top of the shock when deposited on the ground as hereinafter explained.

Upon the outer portion of the platform 4 and projecting thereover, is mounted a tilting cradle or shockformer which in its simplest form is constructed as follows: Its lower portion is formed by three longitudinal bars 13, 14, and 15, connected at their ends by transverse bars 16 and 17 thus forming a rectangular frame. The intermediate bar 14 is bolted to the blocks 18 which lie upon bar 6 but are not secured thereto. Thus bar 14 is raised a couple of inches above the platform 4. Said blocks are connected to the outer face of bar 6 by hinges 19, to provide for the tilting movement of the cradle. The upper portion of the cradle consists of a triangular frame 20 rigidly secured to its forward end, and of a similar frame 21, which is rigidly supported at the opposite end of the cradle frame by the, rearwardly projecting end of the platform frame bar 6 and by a second projecting bar 22, the end of which is shown in Fig. 2, said bar being supported by the frame of the platform in any suitable manner. This last-named triangular end frame is stationary, but forms one end of the cradle when the latter is in its normal position.

The cradle is tilted by means of a hand-lever 23, passing beneath the bars 13, 14 and 15 and bolted thereto, and lying normally across the platform, and projecting thereon, as shown. The cradle is preferably overbalanced outwardly, as shown, but the weight of the lever 23 holds it in normal position. The object of the overbalancing is referred to hereinafter.

The operator stands on the platform 4, and as the bundles of grain are delivered thereon from the binder, he lifts them with a pitchfork and lays them trans versely upon the cradle, that is upon the three bars 13,

14, and 15 with their butt ends outwardly. The length of the cradle should accommodate about seven bundles laid in contact extending from endframe 20 to end frame 21.

a second row is laid thereon. Before the third row is laid, a spreader arm 24, which has been standing in upright position out of the way, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, is lowered upon the second row of bundles and then lies in the position shown in full lines in the several views. In this position the arm will not be far from the butt ends of the bundles. By preference it is made triangular in section, and is tapered, the objects of which will be apparent after further description. The arm is pivotally connected to the forward portion of the cradle and the preferred connection is a stud 25 projecting from a casting 26 which is bolted to the frame 20. A casting 28 having a socket 27 toreceive the bar 24, is provided with an opening to receive,

When the first row of bundles has been laid,

the stud 25. This opening may be a round hole, but by preference is a slot 29, which is directed vertically when the arm 24 lies horizontally, and as the arm lies upon the second row of bundles the slot extends upwardly from the stud 25. A stop 30, for supporting the arm 24 in inoperative position, may be formed integral with the casting. The arm 24 being lowered, the oper ator piles a third row of bundles upon the second, their butt ends being separated from those of the second row by said arm. A fourth row is then laid upon the third and this completes a shock of about twenty eight bundles. The weight of the two upper rows of bundles will depress the ends of the spreader arm about equally, as the slot 29 permits the depression of the attached end of said arm, this adjustment being desirable to accommodate bundles of varying bulk.

It is desirable before dumping the shock to provide means whereby the shape of the shock, when it reaches the ground, will be substantially the same as it is in the cradle. When the cradle is tilted there is a tendency for the upper bundles to start falling before the lower bundles start, thus breaking up the shock. This is prevented by employing means for exerting a downward pressure upon the entire lengthof the shock before the cradle is tilted, and maintaining this pressure until the shock has partly fallen from the cradle. For this purpose, a pressure-bar 31 shown in Fig. 3, is employed. Said bar may be of any suitable width and for supporting it when in use, one or more vertical posts or ratchetbars are employed. If two posts are used, they will be set at the ends of the cradle. A single central post 32, as shown is preferable, for the reason that the manipulation of the pressure-bar 31 is more quickly and easily effected, both in applying and releasing the pressure,

said post or guide being secured rigidly upon bar 14 of the cradle. Fixed in the center of the pressure-bar is a sleeve 33, which slides freely upon the post 32. A ratchet bar 34, the teeth of which point downwardly, is secured to the post, and a slot is cut in the sleeve 33 to pass the same. A suitable catch or dog is mountedon the sleeve 33, for engagement with the ratchet teeth. As shown a gravity catch consisting of a bail 35, and a cross-piece 36, is pivot-ally attached to opposite sides of the sleeve 33. A stop 37 is secured to the post at a suitable point, to prevent the pressure-bar from falling to the bottom of the post when the cradle is swung up to normal position. A hand-hold 38 may be cast on the sleeve 33 opposite the handle of the bail 35, so that by grasping these handles with the hands and lifting the pressure-bar 31 is quickly removed from the post before the next shock is started on the cradle. When the shock is complete, the operator takes the pressure-bar and placing its sleeve 33 upon the post, pushes the bar down until the requisite degree of pressure upon the bundles is produced. The ratchet teeth and dog hold it in practically any position to which it is lowered. The operator through the medium of lever 23, swings the cradle downwardly and the pressure bar holds the bundles together until they are almost in a vertical position after which the weight of the bundles will cause them to slide downward and by reason of the fact that the pressure-bar at such time is engaging the bundles above the spreader-bar, the upper and lower half of the bundles, by the confinement near their upper ends, are given an opportunity to and do move further apartat their butt ends, this action continuing until they strike the ground. When they strike the ground the two outer and two inner rows will lean together about as indicated in Fig. 2, making the shock as a whole taper upwardly from both sides.

The binder need not be stopped when a shock is dumped, as would be the case if the rear end of the cradle were made a part of the cradle and lowered therewith. In this connection it will be noticed by reference to Fig. 2, that when the cradle is in lowered position, all of the parts that stand transversely of the shock are either above or at one side of it except those parts forward of it, and consequently the only part in contact with the shock is the longitudinally-extending spreader-arm in the center of the shock; and in view of the fact that the spreader arm is attached to the cradle at its front end only, it is obvious that in the continued forward movement of the machine (which need not be interrupted when the dumping action takes place) the spreader-arm is drawn longitudinally through the shock without disturbing the same in the slightest degree, the withdrawal action of the spreader arm being further insured because of the rearwardly tapering form of said arm.

After the forward movement of the machine has totally withdrawn the spreader-arm from the shock, the operator lifts the cradle by means of lever 23, and then raises the spreader arm to inoperative position where it leans against the stop 30. The driver of the binder also handles the reins for the horse hitched to the attachment.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced an attachment for binders embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the object of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a binder, of a wheeled platform pivotally connected thereto at one side, a cradle mounted on said platform and adapted to be tilted transversely of the line of draft to drop each shock at the side of the attachment opposite from the binder, a guide rigidly secured to the bottom of the tilting cradle and projecting upward therefrom, and a pressure bar extending longitudinally of the cradle and adjustable upon the guide toward the base or bottom of the cradle.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a binder, of a wheeled platform pivotally connected thereto at one side, a cradle mounted on said platform and adapted to be tilted transversely of the line of draft to drop each shock at the side of the attachment opposite from the binder, and a spreader arm adapted to be disposed longitudinally of the cradle outward of its center to divide the butt portion of the shock into two parts.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a binder, of a wheeled platform pivotally connected thereto at one side, a cradle mounted on said platform and adapted to be tilted transversely of the line of draft to drop each shock at the side of the attachment opposite from the binder, and a spreader-arm pivotally connected at its front end to the front portion of the cradle and adapted when occupying its operative position to extend longitudinally of the cradle outward of the longitudinal center thereof.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a binder of a wheeled platform pivotaliy connected thereto at one side, a cradle mounted on said platform and adapted to be tilted transversely of the line of draft to drop each shock at the side of the attachment opposite from the binder, a spreader-arm adapted to be disposed longitudinally of the cradle outward of its center to divide the butt portion of the shock into two parts, a guide projecting rigidly upward from the bottom of the cradle inward of the spreader-arm, and a pressure bar adjustable on said guide toward the base or bottom of the cradle and extending longitudinally of the latter.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a binder of a wheeled platform connected to the binder and arranged to travel at the side of the same, of a cradle mounted on said platform to tilt transversely of the line of draft, and a movable spreader arm above the cradle at the opposite side of its tilting or pivotal line from the binder; said spreader arm having a pin and slot connection with the forward portion of the cradle.

6. In a device of the character described, a platform, a tiltable cradle mounted thereon, comprising a base portion and a frame secured rigidly to and projecting upward from the front end of the base portion, a frame projecting.

upwardly from and rigid with the platform at the rear end of the base portion, a pressure-bar tiltable with the cradle and adjustable toward and from its base, and means for tilting the cradle.

7. In a device of the character described, a platform, a cradle comprising a base portion, a frame secured rigidly to and projecting upward from the front end of the base portion, a frame projecting upwardly from and rigid with the platform, and a spreader-bar pivotally connected to the front portion ofv the cradle, the function of said arm being to spread the butt ends of the bundles in the shock.

In testimony whereof I afliix my signature, in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN T. COULTER.

Witnesses:

, H. C. RODGERS, G. Y. THORPE. 

